The Legend of Spyro: Prelude to Darkness
by Procurator Fox
Summary: A story telling of Malefor's untold past, along with the childhood of Ignitus, Volteer, Terrador, and Cyril.
1. Prolouge: The Naming

**The Legend of Spyro: Prelude to Darkness**

Written by **Procurator Fox**

**Prologue**

"We are all gathered together today for a special event." said the elderly dragon, standing at the front of the chapel. This was one of the Dragon's most sacred of places, in the central valley of Grazos, surrounded by the mountains of green. Flowers of all kinds flourished in the bright sunlight, and butterflies danced in the skies. In the center of the valley, dragons young and old alike had gathered to witness one of the most sacred ceremonies in the dragon world. As the crowd listened, an immensely old and wise-looking dragon of light green color stood in front of the chapel, addressing the others.

"Today is indeed special, for we have with us two young dragons who have yet to be named." He announced as he surveyed the crowd. I could have sworn that he looked at me with a blank stare, acknowledging my presence. Uncomfortable, I turned away for a brief moment, breaking the eye contact. The elder continued with his speech.

"For generations, we have had dragons brought to this place to be given their true names. For the first time since Gerard and Bellum, who were born over a thousand years ago, we have the honor of having two namings in one ceremony. These two dragons, once named, will be together for as long as their lives will allow, and never will they be separated against their will. Now, I would like for the first of these two to step forward. Please welcome Pyra and Demor!"

Dragons roared their approval as the echoing of their cries thundered across the mountains and beyond. Birds perched in trees squawked their disapproval and flew to new branches as the sound pulsated through the valley. Before the alter walked two dragons, one male and another female. The two were both fiery red and had an air of nobility around them. The female was sleek and graceful, keeping her head held high, as her husband respectfully bowed his sturdy head at their reception amongst the crowd. Both had smiles as wide as the rivers below them, snaking from one side of their faces to another, showing great pride and happiness. I found myself smiling as well, for Demor had been

The two dragons walked to the older one, and after a moment of inaudible conversation, Pyra, the female, held up something that she had been holding the entire time. It was a small dragonling, as fiery colored as his parents, but yet seeming peaceful as he slept, curled up in his mothers arms. She carefully handed the baby to the elder, making sure not to disturb its sleep. Taking the child, the old one looked upward into the heavens with a smile on his face.

"I, Gratus, the eldest of the dragons in this clan, do ask you, great god of the stars, to give me strength, as I give this young dragon his true name. May he yet find peace and happiness in his life, and be shielded from evil. May his clan be honored by him, and may his life give us hope when darkness approaches. With these gifts, may he yet be known by his true name."

The elder placed his front claws on the dragonlings forehead, and light emitted from his touch. The eyes of the dragon opened wide in concentration, seeing things that nobody else would ever see in their imaginations. His eyes were strangely clouded, the deep green swirling with color. After many moments, there was a flash of light from the hand of the elder, momentarily blinding the crowd, and then…

"Let us welcome to our clan Ignitus, the Flame of Hope."

Roars of Amusement rose form the crowd at this. I myself let a grin slide across my face as Pryra, delighted with her child's new name, took him back from Gratus. The father stood frozen to the spot, smiling with pleasure as his wife embraced him.

_A perfect name for the child_, I thought. I had known Pyra and Demor for years now. It was fitting their child's name would be "flame of hope". I could only imagine the greatness and wisdom he would possess as he grew older.

"Congratulations Pyra, congratulations Demor, and welcome Ignitus!" roared Gratus. The crowd repeated his words with much enthusiasm, a chorus of growling low voices. Birds flew from nearby, as the loud noise startled them. The three dragons, man, wife, and child, left the center of the crowd, leaving Gratus once again to continue the speech.

"The second Naming may now proceed. Please welcome Marcus and Gwynna!"

As it was my time, I stepped forward with my wife. We were greeted once again with great enthusiasm by those we had grown up with. I looked calmly into the eyes of Gwynna, and she looked back with a warm smile. Then she looked back to our child. The unnamed dragonling was much like his mother, inheriting both her wing shape and also her gently curving horns. However, he was unusually colored, as me and my wife had blue scales. Yet, his scales shone bright purple, as if he were even in his sleep trying to awe and surprise the crowd. He yawned, showing his toothless gums, letting a small, squeaking breath. The crowd was greatly amused by this, and they chuckled, gentle rumbling emitting from their throats.

We passed towards Gratus, and as we approached, he muttered to us, "_Lumos soleil Patron._" Latin for "Let the light of the sun protect thee." We nodded, and Gratus started again the ceremony.

"I, Gratus, the eldest of the dragons in this clan, do ask you, great god of the stars, to give me strength, as I give this young dragon his true name. May he yet find peace and happiness in his life, and be shielded from evil. May his clan be honored by him, and may his life give us hope when darkness approaches. With these gifts, may he yet be known by his true name."

Once again, Gratus touched the forehead of my son, looking with clouded eyes into a dimension none could see but him. Again there was a flash of light before…

"Let us welcome to our clan Malefor, the Light in the Shadow."


	2. Chapter 1: Marcus

**Chapter 1**

I, Marcus, have always been one of the most perfect examples of a dragon of Ice. My scales shine a brilliant sky blue. Still unscratched and polished well, they would inspire awe in any who chanced to see me. I've looked with amusement upon many such faces, sizing me up and trying to see the limits to my power through sight alone. My personality is that of one who values his honor above all else, and because of it, I have been revered and given respect like the gentleman I am. My power over the element of ice and water has made me a formidable opponent in battle as well, and my wisdom and cunning has won me a place among the leaders of my tribe. I am currently the Leader of the Tribe of the Melting Icicles, who reside in the crevice of Medira. Those who become selected to form this part of the dragon government are usually chosen because of their strength, and their experience in battle. I won my place in the council, however, through intelligence and wit.

Originally, when I was young and rash, the leader of my tribe was a dragon named Muskari. He had won his position in our society by brute force, and studied only war and battle. He never took the time to learn anything other than how to defeat others in combat, learning weaknesses and strengths of all types, and training himself so that he could maintain his position. However, he had a lack of intelligence in tactics, economics, and other duties of a leader, and was hated, though unopposed.. When I was young, I challenged him to single combat, but I was absolutely no match for him. It wasn't long before he had me trapped in a block of ice, waiting for it to thaw while other young dragons pointed and laughed. I swore to have revenge on him, though I could never hope to overpower him.

For years, I studied dragon history, looking for texts that would tell me how to become a leader who would be respected and revered as one should be, and find a way to overpower Muskari, the most powerful ice dragon of his time. When at last, I studied the text of a fire dragon, did I discover something.

I found that one fire dragon had found that Ice would melt at certain temperatures, and had written them down. He also noticed that the Ice could be melted, and when kept at a certain temperature, could be frozen again almost instantly. With this in mind, he could form Ice into a shape as it froze again. Thus, a fire dragon discovered the art of ice sculpturing. However, the ice could only be shaped in this way by a fire dragon, and as you can imagine, not many fire dragons have an affinity for water. I studied into the matter ever further, and was surprised to find that I could melt ice quickly by bringing it to the temperature. Because of that, and after a year or more of secluded practice, I could control the temperature as I breathed it out. I breathed Ice at the temperature that Ice would melt at, and found that Instead of Ice, a stream of water came forth. Thus, I discovered how to breathe water. I also discovered that I could make the water hot, or even boiling, depending on the temperature of the ice as it melted. Ice that was at a heat of 500 degrees would melt almost instantaneously, and would still retain it's heat. I found this control over water pleasing, and decided to try using it to face Muskari's once again.

When I faced Muskari for the second time, he was optimistic and completely full of himself. Over the years he had put down hundreds of opponents and kept his place for a long time. When he used his Ice against me, he had no Idea why it kept on melting as soon as it came anywhere near me. Little did he know that I was melting it by breathing how water on it. He had focused his combat skills on fighting ice dragons, but he had never prepared himself to fight against water, nor to defend against it. He was so frightened and confused, he surrendered to my power and let me become the leader of our tribe.

Ever after, I taught my skills of controlling water to many students, and none have opposed my wisdom as a leader. Though many could have overpowered me, none wished to, for I was a great leader like none they had ever seen. Through my efforts, the study and power of breathing water became one of the main studies of ice dragons, and has thrived, as students of all ages are taught of the art I had mastered. As I grow older, my honor and my wisdom have led many to believe that I will become one of the elders when I grow old and weak. Some even contemplate that I become the prime Elder, but I dismiss the thought. Though I was great, I could never live up to Gratus.

Since I have been the role model of many Ice dragons and am one of the prime images that represent them, I find it fascinating that my son, Malefor, should be so different.

His abnormality mainly lies in the color of his scales, which usually signifies much about a dragon. While many of the ice dragons are covered from head to toe in shining shades of white and light blue, I have found that my son is a dark shade of purple, obviously not what is expected of his kind. In fact, he was not similar in this way to any of the dragons of fire, earth, or lightning either. This left his abilities to be a mystery to his parents, the elders, and everyone who may have chanced to meet him. Without knowledge of his power, we can only wait and see.

My son lies, curled in a ball, in his comfortable nest of leaves from the nearby trees. They swayed in the wind, alpine breezes of the Northern Mountains rushing through their empty branches. Winter had come, and it would be time to hibernate, as all reptiles do. Our home, a rocky cavern indented in the side of a cliff, looked over the circular indentation in one of the mountains. It was almost eerie to look out at the snow that had fallen in the last month and see that in this time, nobody was walking about. All of the usual workers, wives, and children always seemed to have something to do, but now, at the beginning of winter, the central plaza was bare. All of the dragons were most likely lying in their caves and shelters, dreaming of spring, and the time to come when the snow would melt. I, however, had other matters to think of.

My son had been born just before the snow had fallen, an unfortunate coincidence. He was full of energy, and had pranced around in the snow, building large walls and making tunnels of the white substance like many of the other infants do. But Malefor was younger than the others, who were born in the spring, the usual mating season. He was much smaller, and still had much learning and growing to do before he could take things like this seriously.

While Malefor sleeps in hibernation, he will be growing, and he will wake up to find himself very different indeed. He would need experience with his new abilities to control them, and he would have none, unlike those who had been born in the springtime. They had had all year to get used to their adapting bodies, while Malefor would only lie in the winter as he grew. He would wake up, with no knowledge of his capabilities, and would appear almost childish, as a dragon of his age, learning with those who are almost a year younger than him. This troubles me, for I had hoped for my son to bring me honor, and that while he was a mystery to us now, would become something that none of the dragon realms had seen before. Now my hopes were let down, for he could never settle down to be normal now. I had but one choice in this matter, and though it meant great pain in my heart, I would be willing to do this for my son.

As I was about to turn my head and return to my cave, I saw my second-in-command, Gacius flying towards the ledge I was standing upon. Gacius and I had met shortly after my rise to leadership. He had marveled at my ability, and had been the first to learn of it. He had also, through his insatiable curiosity, been the first to replicate it. I had schooled him in my new art, as well as teaching him to be a gentleman, like I am. Through his thirst for knowledge, he had taken to asking me many questions, and had quickly become a close friend to me. Over the years, he had become very wise, despite his youth, and I found him an appropriate choice for a second in command.

As Gacius landed beside me, he turned his head to survey the village, just as I had. He then turned to me, and humbly stated, "I have confirmed that we are alone, sir. You and I are the only ones awake."

"Very good." I remarked, "You are welcome to join your family until springtime."

This remark did not get through Gacius. "Sir, I must be sure that you are safely asleep as well. I will not leave until my duty is finished."

I sighed. Gacius was as stubborn as always to complete his duty. It was quite admirable to see his eagerness, but it could also be quite irritating at times. "Very well. You can come inside if you like. I plan to use my gem cavern one last time before I sleep."

Gems are the primary source of dragon power, so each keeps his own cavern of them. Every day, they enter and restore their energy, just as other creatures eat and drink. I keep a large cavern of my own, of course, and ventured there, followed by Gacius. The cavern would have startled almost anyone other than a dragon. Sapphires, emeralds, diamonds, and many other highly valuable gems were scattered around the entire cavern. Crystal shard covered the walls on shelves, gems pile high to the ceiling, and the pathways between them were lined with silver and gold. I picked a ruby gem shard about the size of a lantern out of a pile, and held it against my chest. I felt a surge of energy pulsing through me, and felt energy flow from the gem in my hand into my body, strengthening my muscles and focusing my mind. Finally, the flow of energy stopped as the gem in my hand slowly disintegrated to nothing. I looked upon my large collection of gems, with even a bit of sorrow. I wouldn't see them until spring, as I wouldn't see the large, open world outside.

Gacius was examining a small emerald in another part of the cavern. He turned his head to me for a moment, and respectfully asked, "May I?" I nodded to show my consent, and he began absorbing the energy of the gem. I turned away, heading back towards the exit of the cavern. Gacius followed me a moment after, looking more refreshed. I walked into the cavern where my wife, Gwynna, was sleeping. She slept with light breath and high spirits, and her smile was calming to look at, inviting me to join her in slumber. I lay beside her, and turned to Gacius. "Your duty here is done. You are dismissed." I then set down my head, closed my eyes, and started breathing slowly, trying to make the impression that I was asleep. I waited, listening hard, trying to hear the footsteps of Gacius as he exited the cavern. They didn't come. I continued my impression, secretly admiring his determination. It only showed that he cared for his tribe, and would make a great leader if he was ever appointed. I waited longer, and for maybe an hour, I still didn't hear anything. What had happened? Had he left without me noticing? I was tempted to open my eyes and see, but if he was there, I would only reveal that I wasn't asleep. Suddenly, I heard a voice.

"Marcus, I know you aren't asleep. Please stop trying to fool me. I know that you are awake."

I grunted with amusement. "How can you tell that all of the time?"

Gacius smiled innocently. "To tell you the truth, you snore when you're actually asleep."

I cursed under my breath. I had never thought of that. Almost desperately, I pleaded, "Please, Gacius. You are dismissed."

Gacius' smile vanished from his face as he grunted. "I can see you won't be easily persuaded. Fine. I'll go, but you find yourself stabbed in the back when you wake up, don't blame me." He shifted and started to leave. I could hear as his massive weight pounded on the floor of the caves, all the way through the caverns, until finally, he left through the entrance. I opened my eyes, glad to be rid of him for the moment. I almost jumped as my wife opened one eye and said,

"You know, he's right. You do snore when you're asleep."

I smiled, again amused. "You were awake the whole time?"

Gwynna made a noise similar to the purring of a cat. "I heard every word."

"Then you realize what I must do?"

"Of course. I would rather it be me than you, but you are his father, and…"

"It will be alright. Trust me." I said, trying to reassure her. "Try to fall asleep. Everything will work out fine, and you do not need to worry until spring has come."

My wife hung on to my foreleg as I tried to stand up. "I have tried, and that is the reason I am still awake. Please, Markus, there must be-"

"No," I interrupted. "This is the only way. I must do this for my son, and I am willing to make the sacrifices."

My wife, holding back tears, wept for a few moments. I felt like doing the same, but I knew what was to be done, and determination replaced my sorrow. I felt quite sorry for my poor wife, but nothing could be done. She let my arm go, and released me from my bonds.

"Go. Do your duty before I can stop you. Before I can change my mind, you must go."

And so, I left my wife behind me. Before I left the room, it was all I could do to turn, muster my courage, and let out a faint voice…

"Farewell, my dear wife."

I turned and left the cavern quickly. I could not let Gwynna see my tears.

I walked quietly, through the tunnels, pausing only before I found my destination. It was the nursery. Unlike that of a human that you may be imagining, a dragon nursery is quite different. The cavern was filled with books, some made for children, and others that he would have the ability to read only as an adult. No toys or gadgets lay scattered on the floor. In their place, there were only more books. Some were open, set aside after finishing a chapter, while others were diaries, filled with memories, feelings, and stories of childhood. Dragons are raised off knowledge. As an infant learns to think for itself, it grows. Dragons of high intelligence grow to adulthood much more rapidly than others. However, the time it took for their growth does not affect their total life span. Some dragons, when not raised properly, will die of old age without reaching adulthood even after living for hundreds of years. Malefor himself was very intelligent. He was still quite young however, and being born only a month or so before this day, still resembled a newborn. As the years pass, he will grow more and more, and I estimate he will be a full adult in about a decade at his rate. I hoped he would be an honor to me then.

I walked to where the young dragon was nesting for the winter, in a small pile of leaves, taken from the nearby trees. They were arranged in a circle, with a large space in the center, many times the size of the newborn that lay in it. It was made this size so that he would have room to grow over the years to come. I walked to where my son lay, and paused. A light wind raised from the tunnels that lay outside. I felt it flow across my face, pushing my tears away, and giving me new, fresh determination. I gently set my hand on my son's head, so as not to disturb his slumber, as the breeze blew the fallen leaves of autumn in a circle around me. I closed my eyes, feeling the wind blowing, clearing my mind, heightening my senses.

"Great Tribe of the Melting Icicles," I said, my voice echoing in my head. "I have given you my intelligence as a leader, my efforts to protect those I love, and my heart, with which I have found true happiness. Now, I give you my soul, so that my joy may live on, for generations more to come."

My eyes closed, I felt a trill of happiness, and I let the wind take me, gently pushing me along with the flow, becoming one with nature. Behind me, the leaves fell to the ground. Malefor smiled as he slept, for where I had once touched his head with great happiness, there was left behind the rune that had once been mine.

The name of Marcus the wise.

* * *

Coming soon!

Chapter 2: Father and Son


End file.
